On our way back to town, there isn't much to talk about, so I spend my time thinking. Now that I know how useful Passives are, I have yet another reason to start casting as we walk. In the silence, I just keep going, one spell after another on our march. Like on the way out, it's a little longer than a two day walk back to town.

The whole way, no one really talks to me much, they just leave me to my magic, a few passing glances now and then, until we arrive at the gates of Miselka once more. We go right through, walking and walking through the large city before we reach the guild. Once inside, Lirushik heads to the counter to collect our reward, everything proceeding as usual, and I get my two gold coin payment.

Good, I have enough money to get by on now. First on my list of things is more good food, something more healthy than travel rations, since I'm still not in great shape after starving like I did. After that... I'm not sure. Having finished this quest, all I've done is knock down my estimation of my own strength even further.

Shouldn't I just get a job in the city? Then I won't need to worry about how pathetically weak I am. I can just live comfortably, maybe get a job at the guild like I did in Thanifa. Talking to people is still kind of terrifying, but I got by fine the last time I did it.

However, those thoughts are put on hold once our quest debrief is all finished, because Lirushik tells the students to wait, and grabs me by the arm, pulling me toward the counter.

It reminds me of what slipped my mind in days of walking and spell casting.

He said when we get back, he's getting me marked as a former slave. My heart jumps into my throat, but I still have no idea what that actually entails, what it means for me going forward, anything.

Before I can even think of asking about any of it, we reach the counter, where he calls out Arkida specifically. “Yes, sir?” she asks, a little flustered being pointed out like that.

“You said Yumi's been in town for a month already, but you haven't properly marked her yet.” He fixes her with an annoyed glare that makes her stand up a little straighter.

“Well, you see, about that...” she stumbles through her response. “She's sweet, you know? And an otherworlder. She wasn't broken, and she came from a bad situation...”

“She's a SS rated former slave who told us how much she loved her master on the trip back from our quest.” His words silence all of Arkida's protests.

Her face falls a little, and with a defeated sigh, she waves for me to follow her.

On her heels, I can't help but ask. “U-umm... what does it mean? Getting marked? Is it bad? What will happen?”

While leading me into a room in the back, with Lirushik following right behind, Arkida answers, “It'll let everyone know you used to be a slave. I won't lie, it'll be... different...”

“Different how?” It's getting hard to breathe, I'm starting to panic. But I know there's nothing I can do, Lirushik is right behind me, I couldn't even flee if I thought it would help.

Should I have not gone back to town with them? Just ran off into the woods and looked for another town to settle down in? Never let anyone know I used to be a slave?

But how would I even manage that? I don't have that much food for traveling and-

And it doesn't matter, because that time has already passed.

Whatever the consequences, I already don't have a choice in the matter.

“Well, some people will be nice, because they know you've been through a lot...” Arkida says comfortingly.

“Most will look at you like trash.” I can hear Lirushik rolling his eyes when he brutally adds that on.

“Th-then, why do I have to...? Can't I just... not?”

“Idiot, we can't trust you. Sure, you seem like an alright person, but I'm not about to let you wander this city free to create havoc without warning.” I lower my head at his response.

With her shoulders hunching a little, Arkida says, “Sorry,” and opens a door into a small room. It's a type of room I'm familiar with, the kind where they always applied crests before. The chair they have looks a little nicer than other ones, but it still has the same sort of straps for the wrists and ankles.

She waves, and I sit down. They aren't going to do something with my crest, right? I don't know of anything like that. Going into some nearby cabinets, she doesn't draw out any sort of magic crystal. Instead, it looks kind of like a slave collar, but larger, and a little more bulky.

Arkida has regret in her eyes, but Lirushik is standing right there, arms crossed over his chest, scarred face scowling. “Sorry, Yumi,” she apologizes again, and closes the collar-like thing around my neck. I'm not supposed to wear this, am I? I haven't seen anyone else with a big, bulky thing like this...

With one more muttered apology, she fiddles with the thing on my neck, and I feel a sudden burn on my skin underneath. It makes me grit my teeth and flinch a little, the feeling like two zipping lines of fire.

Then it's over. It hardly took a moment. I shudder a little, but quickly shake it off. Then Arkida removes the thing from my neck, and says it's done. I touch my neck where it still tingles a little, but I don't feel anything.

With a hand, she directs my attention to a small mirror on a nearby counter, and looking into it, I see the change immediately.

Two glowing blue lines, like another magical tattoo encircling my neck, just like a slave collar. It's even the right size, maybe just a hair wider, right where I always wore my collar.

But burned into my skin this time.

There's no way anyone could miss this, is there?

“Good, I've got work to do now,” Lirushik excuses himself as soon as it's done, disappearing through the doorway.

There's a pause, before Arkida asks, “Hey, Yumi, do you need a place to stay?”

Confused by the sudden question out of nowhere, I answer, “Well, I guess?”

“Want to come to my place?”

“S-sure?”

“Come with me.” Without further explanation, she takes my hand and pulls me with her. She says a few passing words to the other receptionists on our way, before leaving the guild. The whole way out, I feel their eyes on my neck.

Even as I'm pulled behind Arkida, I can feel the looks.

This is going to be a lot worse than they said, isn't it?

We go down the street, making a few turns, our pace almost rushing, Arkida's messy brown bun bobbing up and down so much that some comes loose, before we arrive at an apartment building, quite a ways from the guild, in a somewhat lower class part of town. We head up a few floors, then she unlocks one of the doors.

This all gives me a sense of nostalgia, or deva-vu, like when Master first took me home with her. Walking in behind Arkida, I close the door, then immediately begin unlacing and removing my shoes. She turns back, looking confused for a moment, before shrugging and waiting for me to finish.

Once I'm barefoot, she leads me past the entrance, into her apartment. Again, I'm reminded of Master's house, but it's a good deal smaller. There's no little mess room in the front like where I always cleaned up our gear, and the kitchen is smaller. The same goes for the living room, and the layout is different, with the kitchen attached to the living room, just a counter between the two areas, rather than being off of the entrance hall.

From there, there's a little single person bedroom with a small bed, and a bathroom. Overall, the place feels small and cramped compared to Master's but it's a place to sleep. I've actually found a place to sleep...

“So, umm...” Turning back to me, half of Arkida's hair has slipped out of her bun now, brownish locks kind of curly and falling around her shoulders, but she doesn't seem to care. “Yumi, now that you're marked... well...” She sighs. “You generally lose a lot of rights and legal protections, so things are going to be hard for you...”

My mouth falls open. Why wasn't that the first thing they told me? Why did she wait until now? After taking me all the way back to her house?

Wait, what sort of legal protections do I lose? Before I can start imagining what horrible things she might have in mind, getting me all alone like this, she explains. “I wanted to get you out of there as fast as possible, so no one takes advantage of you before you find out about what you can and can't do.”

Oh. That really helps me calm down.

“The main thing that you have to worry about is being enslaved again,” she says directly, and it feels like my heart is going to stop. “Former slaves aren't protected from enslavement like everyone else.”

“W-wait, but wouldn't they need to kidnap me? Isn't that still illegal?!” I'm starting to panic.

“Technically yes, we wouldn't sell them a crest stone for you, but if someone grabs you and enslaves you, they wouldn't be stopped by the guards when they show up in town with you in a collar.”

“Oh...” So it's just like when I lived with the altraska. Technically illegal, but realistically, no one's going to stop them from violating my rights. Ugh...

“The next thing to know are the travel restrictions. A lot of bigger cities are wary of former slaves, so they charge a fee to enter the city. It varies from place to place, but some can be pretty expensive. I made sure to sign you up already, so you can at least travel to and from Miselka. If you go anywhere else, you'll need to register at the guild there.”

I cringe. I'm not even a slave anymore, but they're throwing restrictions on me again...

“Those are the main ones to be careful of. The others are more related to not really having much of a voice if anything happens. Like, if you get attacked, the guards probably won't listen to much of what you have to say, you would need the support of someone else to back you up or you'll probably end up being blamed. Reporting crimes probably won't help either, they just won't take you seriously.”

The thought of essentially having no governmental protection against, well, anything, is forming a pit of dread in my stomach. What she's saying is that as long as it's not in public, anyone can do anything to me, without repercussions...

“There are some businesses and services that probably won't serve you, and some that will go as far as treating you like an actual slave, like those beasts some people keep as slaves. Of course, that includes the slave markets, they obviously won't sell a slave to you.” She's still talking, but I'm hardly paying attention anymore.

My breathing is ragged, I'm starting to lose track of my surroundings. I can't think. When it feels like everything is closing in, hands suddenly close on my face. “Yumi?!”

“I'm having a panic attack.” I force the words out of my mouth. I know this feeling well enough from when I had them before, but I still have no idea what to do about it. I'm shaking and sweating, I can't focus. Her hands push me down to sit on the floor, then vanish.

Gasping, I search, arms waving uselessly. Where did Arkida go?!

Without warning, cold water dumps all over me. I end up breathing some in, immediately choking and hacking it back up and rolling around on the floor.

When I eventually recover, still coughing here and there, I look up from the wet floor. Arkida is standing there holding a bucket. “The hell?!” I exclaim.

“I- I didn't know how to help, so I tried throwing water on you...” she responds sheepishly.

“Well... I guess it worked...” I mumble stupidly. I'm not panicking anymore at least. “So, uhh... thanks...”

“You're welcome...” We sit there, suddenly feeling awkward, before Arkida says, “So, I guess I'll just... explain the restrictions from being marked a bit later, alright?”

“Yeah, I think I need some time to process the ones you told me about already...”

“Ok.” She turns away a little, looking toward one end of her house, then asks, “Do you want to take a bath? You should get out of those clothes.”

“Yeah,” I agree immediately, starting to shiver because it's somewhat chilly in here and I'm soaking wet now.

“Alright, come on.” She pulls me up and we head over to the bathroom. It's kind of small, but pretty much like I'm used to, so I carefully remove the rest of my equipment and pile it in a corner, since there isn't a better place in her apartment.

In the meantime, Arkida starts to run the bath. I'm a little embarrassed getting undressed with her right there, but she didn't seem to care at all, even feeling me up when we were back in the guild, so I try to ignore it. She seems more concerned about me than anything. I'll just be grateful for that.

Finishing up, I turn around and practically jump out of my skin. Arkida is not only standing right there watching me, she's completely stripped naked too. I didn't even hear her taking off her uniform! With my face burning up, I immediately avert my eyes, but I already got a very good look while I was surprised.

I never would have expected it with her cute face, thin frame, and that haphazard hair bun, but damn she's got some curves under those clothes! I don't know how her uniform hid that, not to mention her boobs! They're pretty big for someone her size. She's not that much taller than me, which makes her way shorter than most here, and matches well with her curvy hips

Trying to do anything but think about what I just saw, I sit down and work to start washing myself. I'm plenty dirty after that quest, not to mention the random sex I had in the middle of it, so I work diligently with soap and a scrubber to get it all off.

“Oh my, you really do look young with so little hair down there,” Arkida comments, and I go stiff, blushing even worse than before.

“Normally I shave, but it's been a while since I was on that quest.” I try to explain it so at least she will understand it's not a weird fetish or something like Hrinth thought. “I-it's a cultural thing. Shaving was normal where I lived back on Earth, and it feels a lot more comfortable and sanitary...”

“Hmm, is that so...?” Her amused tone is almost teasing, and is followed by her running soap over my back. I yip a little in surprise, even the sound further embarrassing me.

Oh god I bathed with another woman for two months and I'm still this skittish...

It doesn't help that I was hopelessly horny around her the whole time though. Thinking about it now, that probably just made it worse...

Despite my burning cheeks and wandering thoughts, I manage to wash my front while Arkida washes my back.

“I really am sorry how things turned out,” she says at one point. “I know being marked will make your whole life pretty awful from now on, so I just, kind of wanted to make it up to you. You seem like such a sweet person, even after everything you've already been through.”

“Thanks, Arkida. But, umm, it really wasn't that bad. You've seen my rating. I really enjoyed living with my master. She always, always tried to do what was best for me. Like I said, it's a really long story, but the way I was raised, I turned out really suited for slavery. It's hard to explain it in a way others would understand, I guess, but I always feel so helpless on my own. Having someone who I can rely on, someone to take care of me, protect me, tell me what to do...”

I can't help the weird grin that forms as I glance at her over my shoulder, somewhere between wry, sad, and awkward. “To be honest, that's probably what I'm doing again. I have dependency issues, so I just kind of jumped on the chance to depend on you. I'm sorry...”

“Oh, it's fine, Yumi,” she replies comfortingly. “I saw your Status for myself, I know you're hopelessly dependent. That's why I've been helping you.” Then she giggles a little. “I've never really been able to help someone before, so it's nice having someone who actually needs me.”

“O-oh...” She was doing it on purpose? I mean, she definitely took a clear interest in me, but I didn't know that was why...

“That's why I'm sorry,” her tone drops a little. “I tried to help you out, but in the end, I still had to mark you. I thought if I could just keep sending you out on quests, it might not come to that, especially when I saw how much healthier you looked after your time with Krulm. But...”

She sighs deeply. “I'm so stupid, we already had you on file as a former slave, of course we'd have to mark you eventually. There's no way I could put it off forever. I should've told you to run to another town and hide your past, then you wouldn't be in this situation...”

“No, no, it's fine,” I tell her. She's probably right, but I push those thoughts away. “I'm so hopeless, there's no way I'd be able to hide it. I'm so obedient, I can't even ignore direct orders.”

To prove my point, despite the shame, I explain, “Lirushik proved it by commanding me to give him all of my clothing. I was going to do it too. I'm so weak, I can't even stand up for myself under ridiculous orders. Even if my Class wasn't a big red flag, people would find out no matter where I go, it's really not your fault.”

“Huhh...” she releases a slow, relieved breath, and leans against my back, head on my shoulder and arms circling me loosely. “Thanks, Yumi.” Despite her quiet words being somewhat comforting, her big breasts squishing against my back make me both nervous and jealous. I just keep remembering Hrinth...

Ignoring the familiar heat rising in me, I eventually give her arm a tug so she'll release me and I can slide into the tub.

Leaning my head back briefly, I'm again struck by a moment of nostalgia, when Arkida slides behind me, taking my hair hanging over the lip of the tub, and brushes it. There are a few tangles from the days off on my quest, but it's nothing like when I first moved in with Master and she needed to cut it all off.

After a quick brush and wash, Arkida cleans herself off quickly since she was hardly even dirty, working her nice clean guild job, and comes over to slide into the bath with me.

Even in my months bathing with Master in Thanifa, we always used the tub separately. Somewhat paralyzed at her approach, I watch as she slips into the hot water across from me. The tub overflows a little, the water running down the drain in the floor, as I watch her lower herself slowly in. It's a bit small, so we both need to draw our feet in a little to make room, legs entangling together.

Still, I'm so stricken from the second flash of full-frontal nudity, I don't know what to do with myself. I feel so hot and bothered, but I can tell from one look at Arkida that she doesn't feel the same. No flush in her cheeks, heavy breathing, not a single trace of hesitation, embarrassment, or lust in her eyes. She's not attracted to women at all, is she?

Meanwhile, it's everything I can do not to stare at those bright pink, perky nipples on her chest.

Despite my excited arousal, I do my best to relax in the tub, grateful for the lodging Arkida's given me. We eventually finish up in the bath, dry ourselves off, and then she walks me into her bedroom, searching through her dresser for some house clothes for me to wear.

Since she's so much closer to my size than Master was, they're a bit baggy, but they actually fit alright, and feel pretty comfortable. The style is pretty different though, more modest, covering more skin than altraskan clothing did. Understandable, I guess, when a lot of people there have whole coats of fur under their clothing.

As soon as that's done, I awkwardly excuse myself, heading back to the bathroom so I can clean up my equipment after my quest. It also serves as a nice period of separation from her, so I can cool my stupid horny head.

When I finish, I'm feeling a lot better, and suddenly smell food when I emerge. Heading to the kitchen, I'm overcome with a moment of shame at the thought of someone else cooking for me now that I'm capable of doing it on my own. But no, she's not my master, I have to remind myself. I don't have any duty to do the cooking for her.

But still, it feels really weird staying here with her now that I think about it. She isn't my master and has no obligation to provide for me. How am I supposed to pay her back for all of this? Food and clothes cost money. Running water and baths cost money. Even the roof over my head right now costs money.

“U-umm, Arkida...?” I call out uncertainly as I move into the kitchen entryway.

“Yeah?” she asks brightly, with a big smile on her face. After her bath, she has her messy hair pulled up into a kind of lopsided high ponytail.

“W-well, I was just wondering how I can pay you back for all of this...”

“Pay me back? For what?”

“For, umm, providing for me...” I turn to stare at the wall, unable to look at her cute, cheery face right now. “You aren't my master, so you don't have to provide for me, so I don't know how to pay you back for the things you give me...”

“Oh, that?” she giggles a little, “that's no problem. Rent is two gold a month, so we can split it, one gold a month, each. We can work around food expenses later.” She completely waves it off.

“O-oh...” Just one gold a month? Well, we are in a less built up area of town, in a little one bedroom apartment, so the two gold I made will last for two months, excluding other expenses.

“Umm, how much does a guild job pay?” I ask uncertainly. I have plenty of experience there, so that would be my first choice. Next, maybe a bar or... I don't know, what else can I do? Krulm mentioned massages, maybe there are massage parlors in town somewhere? I'm not sure how well I'd manage doing something like that with my stupid libido, but if it's work, like it was for Krulm, maybe it would be fine?

Ignorant to all of my rambling thoughts, Arkida answers, “I make about five gold per month. You should be able to make that as an adventurer, even at your Rank.”

“Well, no, I was wondering about getting a guild job too,” I correct her, “I've done guild work before, so...”

“A-ahh...” With an instantly sheepish look, she apologizes. “Sorry Yumi, the guild doesn't hire former slaves...”

I blink stupidly. “O-oh...” I don't think it's really registered yet. They won't hire me because of my history. “What about a tavern job?”

Still looking bashful, she nods a little. “I think... a tavern might be one of the only places in the city willing to hire a you...”

That's when it really hits, and a dark pit forms in my stomach. I've heard about how hard – nearly impossible – it could be for convicts to get jobs back on Earth after getting out of prison. I wonder if this is what that feels like...?

My history means no one wants to hire me...

“And, well...” My breath catches when I realize she isn't done. “I don't know if the pay will be enough...” Awkwardly looking away for a moment to stir whatever she's cooking, she stares ahead as she explains. “The only really viable job once you've been marked is being an adventurer. And even that is a bit...”

“W-what is it...?” I ask in a whisper.

“If enough members of a party speak out, they can have you removed from the quest. For that reason, it's guild procedure to take a portion of your quest reward and offer it to the other party members as incentive to allow you to join.”

I sit down on the floor. This isn't fair...

I start to cry.

“Oh, Yumi, it's not all bad,” Arkida tries to cheer me up a little, crouching in front of me. “Adventurers make a lot of money. Even with reduced rewards, you'll be able to cover your part of the rent on like, one quest a month. It'll be fine, really.” She hugs me for a minute, rubbing my back comfortingly, before she goes back to check on the food, turning the stove off.

“Come on, food's ready. I think I'm a pretty good cook too,” and she puffs her chest out proudly. “I hope this helps you cheer up a little.” She gives me a hand up, then spoons out two bowls of a thick stew from the pot she was cooking it in, and sits at the counter between the kitchen and living room to eat, since she doesn't have room for a proper table anywhere in here.

Well, it's kind of like a bar counter, so I guess it's supposed to be like a table...

My sluggish, wandering thoughts are put on hold when I scoop up some of the stew, blowing on it carefully before taking a bite. Oh wow, Arkida really is a good cook. Excluding the food I got out at places like bars and restaurants, this is probably the best food I've eaten in my two years here. So nice and thick and hearty...

“Thanks Arkida, it really is good...” I smile sadly at her, and she beams that reassuring smile of hers right back.